FOREVER NOW

PROLOGUE

Later that afternoon, TJ and Hailey walked to the playground to play. TJ was able to fix Hailey's toy after asking Sister Agnes for needles and threads. There were eyes watching them but they continued to walk until they made it to the  big oak tree and sat on one of the benches.

"I think they're looking at us." Hailey whispered. Fear creeping through her slowly.

"Don't mind them. " TJ answered with a smile. He's always smiling.

"Hi TJ." It's Lizzie again, now with four friends behind her. "Do you wanna play?"

"No thanks, we're okay." He forced a smile.

"We're better friends than her. You'll just bore yourself to death playing with that weirdo." Lizzie said and her four friends nodded assuming it would help convince TJ. But it didn't.

TJ suddenly had the thought that they might be the ones who destroyed Hailey's toy. And it was confirmed when he saw Lizzie's eyes grow wide when she saw the fixed teddy bear beside him.

"You know, destroying someone else's toy isn't nice. I'm pretty sure you guys are fun and all but I'm actually enjoying Hailey's company."

Hailey stood behind him, and she can tell that Lizzie was pissed. Without another word they stomped off.

"Are the other kids like them?" TJ asked who was really surprised after his encounter with Lizzie and her friends.

"Mostly." She whispered. "Only to me."

Hailey and Tj got to know each other bit by bit as the days passed by. They're always together. They've gone from friends to being the best of friends which only made the others hate her even more.

"So what's your family like?" Hailey asked. They were in their own little world under the big oak tree and it seemed as if it became their favorite spot.

She heard TJ sigh. "They're nothing you could imagine."

"Why is that?" Hailey was curious. Every single kid in the orphanage might just have a story about their families as well, but she didn't care about them, she cared for TJ and she wants to know his story.

"We were always in chaos." He started."We lived in the slums, in this very little house. I'm not even sure if you could call it a house, not because it's small but because that house never felt like home. They're always out, my mom and dad. Doing nothing but gamble and drink and get high. They hated me. They never really showed me that they wanted me in their lives..." TJ trailed off as he remembered everything.

Hailey stared at her best friend. Sadness evident on both of their faces. "Did you ran away?"

"No...the cops brought me here."

"The cops?" Her voice sounded a little surprised.

TJ nodded. "I couldn't really recall everything. It was a mess. The cops just led me to their car and told me my mother had killed the landlady.   I was shocked, she was under too much drugs. They tried to reach for my other relatives since my father didn't show up, but they didn't want me. So they decided to just take me here."

There was a moment of silence. Who knew that behind TJ's warm smiles is a very dark and awful story. He might have been really scared. Hailey thought. She knew exactly what he felt like not being wanted. She could see through him, in his deep blue eyes.